The Rocket Trilogy
by Anna Sartin
Summary: The saga that began with 'Forget Me Not.' Giovanni has plans for Jessie and James, but even more sinister forces are out to stop them! -Rocketshippy-
1. Unity

Author's Note: It is recommended that you read the prequel "Forget Me Not" before reading The Rocket Trilogy. This was my very first fanfiction series, written over a decade ago back when I was a teenager. I've corrected some errors and I apologize for the oozing sappiness! Still, I hope you enjoy!

**The Rocket Trilogy **

by Anna Sartin

**.**

_After being knocked unconscious and losing her memory, Jessie spends four days in the hospital. James' growing concern for Jessie forces his true feelings for her to surface and after numerous attempts to bring back her memory he makes his true feeling known to her. Jessie's memory returns when she sees her face in a mirror and she lets James know his feelings are mutual. Now the two of them, along with Meowth, leave the hospital. Neither the couple nor the cat pokémon walking ahead of them knows the trials they will soon face..._

* * *

**Chapter one~ Unity**

**.**

Jessie and James walked down the road, leaning on each other. James had his arm draped around Jessie's neck, pulling her close. She had her own arm clenched tightly around James' waist. Neither of them had said anything since leaving the hospital. They both just wanted to enjoy being together.

Meowth walked ahead of them, deep in thought. They were going to call the boss, who they hadn't talked to since before Jessie's accident. Meowth feared Giovanni was going to bite their heads off. He wasn't looking forward to this, but they all knew they should do it now and get it over with. They found a phone booth a little ways down the road.

"I don't suppose we have any money?" James asked his companions. He knew full well they didn't, but he was always willing to hope for a small miracle. He hated calling the boss collect. Jessie and Meowth shook their heads and he sighed, picking up the receiver. "Collect it is, then."_ Hopefully we won't get our heads chewed off..._

Giovanni was actually glad to here from them, but he certainly wasn't going to let them know it.

"So you incompetent fools finally decided to report in, eh?" he said, after James told him their location. "I suppose the three of you decided to take an unscheduled vacation on MY time."

"No, no, you... you see Jessie was in the hospital, and... and... " James couldn't get anymore than that out.

Giovanni was amused by the nervous expression on his face. "In the hospital for what?" he asked.

Feeling responsible for the whole mess, Jessie felt she ought to explain. "Well, you see, I..."

"She hit her head and lost her memory for a few days," Meowth piped in.

"Why didn't either of you call me?" Giovanni asked. This question was directed at James and Meowth.

It took a moment for James to respond. "W...Well I... I couldn't just _leave _her, a...and I..."

"Enough!"

James shut up.

Giovanni noticed that Jessie and James were holding hands. _Good._ _It looks like the choice is clear... _They both noticed he saw their joined hands and quickly let go.

"It doesn't matter," he told them. "In the days to come, unity will be Team Rocket's greatest strength. While the three of you have been out of contact, this organization has begun to face a great crisis."

They were all silent, waiting for what was coming next.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. Members of Team Rocket have begun to turn on each other. Teams have disbanded, turned on other teams, or disappeared altogether. A rival organization opposing the Team Rocket gang appeared out of nowhere and is trying to take down Team Rocket from the inside. They've obviously got someone on the inside. Also, several of our Johto teams reported being followed, and then disappeared sometime after reporting in. I thought the same had happened to you."

His listeners were speechless. None of them knew what to say.

"The three of you have failed me continuously in the past, but that no longer matters. Your greatest strength has always been your unity. You are loyal, despite your consistent failure. Loyal to Team Rocket; loyal to each other. That's why I've never separated your team. It is that loyalty that I need now."

Jessie and James had joined hands again. He continued.

"Two days from now a Pokémon convention will held near your location. In the next town, actually. I've ordered most of my best people to steal rare and valuable Pokémon from there. I need someone to locate and flush out the spy or spies that are wreaking havoc and reporting to my enemies. You three may not be my most _effective_ team, but you're one of the few I can be sure won't turn on Team Rocket or on each other."

He paused a moment. He looked carefully at each of their faces, looking for any trace of deceit. Finally satisfied, he continued.

"Be secretive, and be successful. Your unity is your greatest strength. Stay where you are today, and do not go near the town until tomorrow night. There's a cabin you can sleep in tomorrow night, but don't go there until tomorrow evening. I have another team sleeping there tonight and I don't want them to know you're here."

Jessie, James and Meowth knew the cabin he was referring to. They had used it before.

"Do NOT sleep in town. Don't check into any of the hotels, and stay away from the Pokémon center. I don't want any member of Team Rocket to know you are here. Contact me on the day of the convention for further instructions, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the three of them said in unison.

"What should we do in the meantime?" asked Jessie.

"It doesn't matter, just don't fail again!"

"Uh...boss?"

It was James.

"What?"

A large sweatdrop appeared on James' head. "We're kind of all out of money..."

"I'll have some wired to you in the town you were in before," he agreed, to the surprise and delight of the trio. "Remember, strength through unity is the key to success. Unity is power!"

Then, without anything more, he hung up.

. . .

No one said anything as they headed back to town. They were all dumbstruck. After securing the funds the boss had sent, Jessie and James decided to get something to eat. Meowth said he would see them later and took off.

"I wonder what he's up to?" asked James.

Jessie said nothing. She had been unusually silent since they had called the boss.

"What's the matter, Jessie?" James asked her. "You're _never_ this quiet!"

He ducked, waiting for her to hit him with a fan, or mallet, or whatever she chose to pull out of nowhere to whack him over the head with, but the blow never came. She didn't even look at him. Instead she walked away, staring at the ground.

"Jess?"

All through lunch, James tried to cheer his partner up, without success. He was actually starting to miss Meowth's constant chatter. When they got back to the cave, Meowth still had not come back.

"We've brought food!" James called, but Meowth did not materialize.

Jessie sat against the wall of the cave, deep in thought.

"James?" she asked.

"Yeah?" He sat down next to her.

"If Team Rocket is brought down, what would happen to us?" she asked.

"We'd survive," he responded.

"Of _course _we'd survive!" she snapped angrily. "We _always_ survive! From the streets, to a bike gang, to Team Rocket. That's not the point! All either of us wanted was a place where we _belonged_. I don't necessarily want to spend my whole life working for Team Rocket, but right now this is where we belong. If Team Rocket is brought down, we'll be losing our home."

James thought about that for a minute. Finally, he took Jessie's hands in his own and said, "Jessie, no matter where we are or what we do, we _are_ home as long as we're together. Don't you see? We wished our whole lives for a place where we belonged and we found it. You and me, together. That's exactly where we belong."

He kissed her.

She was completely drawn into the kiss. Snuggling close to him, she passionately kissed him back.

_I need him so much... _she thought._ To be close to him, always..._

James was totally oblivious to the fact that she had taken off her gloves and was removing his jacket and shirt. He finally realized what she was doing when she stopping kissing him long enough to pull his shirt over his head to get it off.

"Oh Jessie..."

He began to remove her jacket as she unbuckled his belt.

And then Meowth walked in.

"Show's over, lovebirds," he announced, making himself at home.

Jessie's face flushing red with anger. She could just _kill _Meowth for interrupting them. Frustrated and embarrassed she yelled, "Go away, furball!"

"Get a room," Meowth replied, as he sat down to eat the food they had brought back for him.

Jessie and James both sighed. James reluctantly put his shirt and jacket back on.

"So where'd you disappear to?" he asked Meowth.

"I had ta t'ink," was Meowth's reply.

"Think about what?" James asked.

"Wadda ya t'ink, ya moron!" Meowth yelled. "About what we're gonna do at da pokémon convention! We can't afford ta mess dis up like usual!"

James knew he was right. Too much was hanging in the balance. Failure was not an option. He turned around to ask Jessie a question, only to realize she was gone.

. . .

Jessie walked through the forest in silence. She needed some time alone, time to think. What she really wanted was James, but she certainly wasn't going to do what she wanted in Meowth's presence. Finally, she sat down against a tree and put her head in her hands. She had denied her feelings for James for so long., and now that their feelings for each other were out in the open, she was aching to express them. She felt as though something inside of her was going to burst if she did not do so.

She closed her eyes.

_Get it together!_ she chastised herself. _We've got more important problems right now!_

Out of nowhere, Giovanni's voice popped into her mind...

_"Remember, your unity is your greatest strength. You three may not be my most __effective_ team, but you're one of the few I can be sure won't turn on Team Rocket or on each other ..."

"That's right," said Jessie. "I've got to protect James; protect Team Rocket. I've got to be strong. The boss is right. Our unity will give us the strength to succeed. James... I'll protect our unity. I've got to be strong and lead the team to victory. I won't fail!"

It was evening when Jessie came back. James asked her if she wanted anything to eat, but she said she wasn't hungry; that she just wanted to go to sleep. She got into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. James stayed by the fire long after Jessie and Meowth had fallen asleep. He wanted to do something for Jessie. Suddenly he had it; the perfect idea. He would get up early in the morning before Jessie had woken up and implement his plan. He put out the fire and went over to Jesse. He kneeled down beside her and kissed her, before getting in his own sleeping bag and going to sleep.

. . .

When Jessie woke up the next morning, she found herself holding a rose. Meowth was still asleep, and James was nowhere to be found. Her sleeping bag and the surrounding area was scattered with rose petals, and there was a trail of them leading out of the cave. She got up and pulled on her boots, then followed the trail outside. It wound around to side of the cave, leading to James, who was sitting on a picnic cloth covered with rose petals. He had set up a feast for them and had been sitting there patiently for over an hour waiting for her to awaken.

"What's all this?" she laughed, sitting down next to him.

"A private party," he smiled, "Just the two of us."

Jessie laughed. "When did you do all this?"

"This morning, while you were asleep."

"Well, yes, I figured that," she said. "I mean, where did you get all this stuff?"

"In town this morning," he told her. "That's the end of my paycheck."

Jessie's mouth dropped open.

"YOU SPENT YOUR ENTIRE PAYCHECK?"

A sweat drop appeared on James' head.

_Why did I tell her that? _he asked himself. He didn't want her to find out what he had _really _spent his money on. At least, not yet.

"Nevermind that," he told her. He picked up a strawberry, dipped it in cream and held it to her mouth. "Now, say Aaahh!"

. . .

When Meowth woke up, he didn't see Jessie or James anywhere. The whole place was littered with rose petals. He followed the trail of rose petals outside to around the side of the cave. He found Jessie and James having a picnic. They were laughing and feeding each other strawberries. Jessie had just gotten whipped cream all over James' nose. He ducked back in the cave without being seen. He was glad to see the two of them happy. They had a lot of work ahead of them, but they didn't even have to be at the cabin until evening. No point in spoiling their fun. Yawning, Meowth curled up and went back to sleep.

. . .

The day turned out to be one of the best Jessie and James had ever had. After their picnic, they went and saw a movie, followed by lunch at the most expensive restaurant in town. (Which Jessie paid for since James had somehow spent his entire paycheck) Finally, after a walk in the woods, they came back packed their stuff before setting off for the cabin.

Although technically the cabin was deserted, it was fully furnished. Different members of Team Rocket used it for a meeting place, hiding place, or for somewhere to sleep if they couldn't afford a hotel. The kitchen was fully equipped, and the bedroom was complete with a large bed. The cabin even had huge fireplace in the living room. When they finally got there, the place was a mess. Whoever had been there before them had totally trashed it.

After they cleaned it up, James cooked a fabulous dinner for the three of them. Afterwards, Jessie excused both herself and James while Meowth continued to stuff his face.

"Where are we going?" James asked.

"To unite two people within our nation," Jessie replied with a wicked smile, leading him to the bedroom.

When they had closed the door and made themselves comfortable on the bed, James pulled a box out of his pocket and said "Um...Jessie, before we go any further, I... I want you to have this..."

"What is it?" she asked.

"A rose for _my _rose," he replied.

She removed the lid of the box, revealing the most beautiful rose-shaped locket Jessie had ever seen.

"It's beautiful," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

James opened the chain and fastened it around her neck.

"Like I said, a rose for my rose."

"So _this _is what happened to your paycheck!" she laughed.

James smiled shyly. "I love you, Jessie... with everything that I am."

Jessie pulled him close to her and kissed him. This time there would be no interruptions.

An unknown figure watched them through the window. His face bore no expression as he watched the young couple remove each other's clothing piece by piece. He waited.

James was covering Jessie with kisses. He wanted to envelope her, to cover every inch of her body with his. He committed every precious moment to memory as he slowly, joyously, became one with her.

"Jessie," he said, "This is it. This is what everything that's ever happened in our lives has all led up to...this moment. I feel like I've waited my entire life for this...for you. I love you so much."

The tears in Jessie's eyes blurred her vision as she whispered, "I know."

The figure outside continued to watch in silence. He watched as their lovemaking reached its climax, until finally the blue-haired man fell exhausted on top of his partner. Finally, the figure motioned to his team to surround the cabin.

Meowth lay curled up in front of the fire. He knew he had heard something from outside. He got up and opened the front door. Nothing there. He went out to investigate further, leaving the door open. He did not come back.

James lay in Jessie's arms. His head rested on her chest, and he could hear her heartbeat. He sighed contentedly as Jessie ran her fingers through his hair.

"I don't want this moment to end," he told her.

"It won't," Jessie replied, fingering the locket around her neck. "It'll just keep coming back again and again. Do you hear my heartbeat? Every beat says 'I love you, James... I love you, James..."

They laid still for a few minutes.

Then Jessie laughed as a thought came to her.

"The boss was right."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Our _unity_ is the greatest power in the world!"

They both laughed.

"Well, it's definitely the greatest _feeling_ in the world!" James replied.

Suddenly they heard noises from outside. At first they thought it was Meowth, but somehow it didn't seem right.

"I'll go check it out," said James.

He got dressed quickly and went out to see what the problem was. He noticed Meowth wasn't in the living room as he passed through it. The front door was open.

_This is weird... _he thought.

He went outside, following the direction of the noise.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain as something hit him in the back of his head. Everything went black.

After about ten minutes, Jessie began to worry. She got dressed and went into the living room. No James or Meowth. She noticed his boots were gone from by the door, so obviously he had gone out and not come back. She pulled on her own boots and went out.

"James! Meowth!"

She walked around to the right side of the cabin. Nothing. She walked behind the cabin to find a gagged Meowth and an unconscious James tied up together. A hand grabbed her and covered her mouth. She heard a gun trigger click.

"Make a sound and you both die."

* * *

**Continued in part 2: Imprisonment**


	2. Imprisonment

_Upon reporting to Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket, Jessie, James, and Meowth learn that Team Rocket is facing a great crisis due to the emergence of a new enemy. Giovanni, believing in their loyalty and the strength of their unity, sends them on a mission to flush out the enemies' spies and save the Team Rocket. But on the night before they are about to begin their mission, the enemy makes a surprise attack and kidnaps the group one by one...  
_

* * *

**Chapter two~ Imprisonment**

**.**

Jessie stared through the bars of her cell. James lay on the floor next to her, still unconscious. Their pokéballs had been stolen, and Jessie had been blindfolded so she had no idea where they had taken Meowth. They had removed the blindfold just before throwing her and James into the cell, but she had noticed that all of the others cells were full, and most of the people in them were wearing Team Rocket uniforms.

She sat down on the floor and laid James' head in her lap. She wished he would wake up. She took a deep breath.

Jessie had always prided herself on being a strong woman, and she was not going to let the situation get to her. She fingered the rose locket around her neck and took another deep breath, before tucking it into her jacket.

_We are going to get out here._ she told herself. _Somehow..._

_. . ._

Meowth had been taken to a room filled with pokémon. Some were sleeping on the floor, but most were in pokéballs. The man carrying him set him on the floor and put Jessie and James' pokéballs on a table. He put some food in a bowl and set it down in front of Meowth before leaving the room and locking the door behind him.

Meowth understood at once. They thought he was an ordinary pokémon; they didn't realize he could speak. He decided (wisely) that he wasn't going to let them know any different. He jumped onto the table where Jessie and James' pokéballs were. There were only three.

"Okay, everybody come out!" he said, releasing the pokémon.

Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel appeared. Where was Lickitung?

The three pokémon immediately went to the bowl food. Meowth sighed. What to do now?

"I gotta find a phone an' I gotta call the boss," he told himself.

He didn't have far to look; there was a video phone right there. He couldn't believe his good luck.

"Dey really tink I'm just a dumb pet," he said, jumping to the table where the phone was.

_Oh well, _he thought. _No time ta feel insulted..._

He picked up the receiver and dialed Giovanni's number. After two or three rings, the boss answered. Meowth fought off a pang of jealousy as he noticed Giovanni was stroking the Persian at his side.

"Where is the rest of your team?" the boss asked.

Meowth explained the situation. Giovanni listened closely to every word.

Meowth had not been blindfolded, only gagged, so he had seen where they had been taken. He told Giovanni exactly where they were.

"My men and I will set out for your location immediately," he told Meowth. "We should be there tomorrow. See what you can learn about our enemies. Don't let them know you can speak. Try to find the rest of your team."

"Right!" said Meowth.

"Meowth, despite your failures you are still a part of the Team Rocket organization. This organization is like a family, and loyalty to the family is paramount. It is in that unity that our power stems. We will be there soon, so go now and do what you can to succeed."

That was the end of the conversation.

A very stunned Meowth set the receiver down. He had expected the boss to bawl him out for getting captured. The last thing he had expected was reassurance.

_I wonder if he knows somethin' we don't? _he thought.

Meowth shook his head. Of _course _the boss was always ahead, that's why he was the head of Team Rocket!

Suddenly he realized something. The boss had said _'My men and I'... _He was coming here personally to rescue them?

_No way! _thought Meowth. _Da boss don't stick his neck out for nobody..._

He remembered how Butch and Cassidy bragged about the boss personally bailing them out of jail.

_This organization is like a family, and loyalty to the family is paramount..._

Meowth understood now. The boss _did_ care, in his own way. Well, okay maybe _care_ was the wrong word. He certainly wasn't a _nice_ guy. To him, the members of Team Rocket were like pawns, useful at times but also dispensable. He fired agents that ceased to be useful and he would "take care of" anyone that double-crossed him; but he did what he could to hold Team Rocket together. He was a smart enough man to know that loyalty and unity went hand in hand. Jessie, James, and Meowth might only be pawns to him, but as long as they worked for Team Rocket they were _his_ pawns and he intended to get them back.

Finally, Meowth jumped down from the table and put Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel back in their pokéballs. He had a plan. He put the three pokéballs in his mouth and sat by the door. Someone would come in eventually to feed the pokémon, and when they _did_, he was getting out.

. . .

James was slowly coming to. He opened his eyes and saw the worried face of his partner. He had a splitting headache.

"Are you alright?" asked Jessie. "I was so worried..."

"W-where are we?" he asked.

"I wish I knew," was the response. "We were captured by... somebody..."

She helped James to sit up.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked.

"I think so, I'm not sure... The last thing I remember is something hitting my head..." He rubbed the back of his head. He had a huge lump.

"It'll be alright," said Jessie, holding him to her. "We'll get out of here somehow..."

As the night passed, the two of them eventually fell asleep in each other's arms, neither one knowing what the morning would bring...

. . .

Meowth had also fallen asleep. When morning came, the door opened and a little girl came in. As she shut the door behind her, Meowth woke up, realizing he had just blown his chance to run for it.

The girl looked to be about seven or eight years old. She went over to a Pidgey and began to pet it.

"Hello, Pidgey, how are you today?" she said to it.

Meowth watched as the girl fed every pokémon in the room. She stopped to talk to each one as she put food down for it. She did not see Meowth until she turned to leave.

"Oh, you're adorable!" she said, rubbing his head. "Nobody told me there was a new one!"

Meowth rubbed up against her like an ordinary cat. He liked her at once, but he knew he shouldn't say anything. So he meowed and jumped into her arms.

"Oh, I just love you!" she said, hugging him. "You're so cute! You're the best pokémon of all!"

Meowth tried to meow again, but he was having a hard time with three pokéballs in his mouth.

The girl cuddled him and said "My name's Anari, and I guess your name's Meowth, right?"

Meowth nodded.

"My big brother says I can have any pokémon I want from here. I want you! Would you like to come home with me?"

Meowth nodded. This was perfect! He could get out of here with no trouble now! Then he remembered what the boss had told him;

_See what you can learn about our enemies... Try to find the rest of your team..._

"Come on," Anari said to him. "I wanna show you to Big Brother..."

. . .

Four men, all dressed in black, opened the cell Jessie and James were in and told them to get up. Jessie helped James to rise and then they were led out of the cell.

"What do you want with us?" Jessie asked.

"The prisoner shall remain silent," one of them said, holding a gun to her back.

Despite her increasing rage, Jessie was not stupid enough to argue with a loaded gun. She was silent.

They were taken to a room that looked like a cross between a dungeon and a business office. There was a large desk in the room, and handcuffs chained to the walls. The man sitting at the desk wore an expensive Italian suit. He looked like he was in his early twenties.

"The notorious Jessie and James of Team Rocket. Welcome!"

Jessie instantly disliked this guy, and James was rather afraid of him. Something about this guy reminded him of the boss.

"What do you want with us?" asked Jessie, ignoring the use of their names.

"Now don't be like that," he said, coming closer. "My name is Gambini, Antonio Gambini. I'm the nephew of your employer, Giovanni."

James' mouth dropped open, but the expression on Jessie's face did not change. She did not trust this guy; not at all.

Gambini sat on top of his desk and said "My father and your boss were brothers. Giovanni was the elder brother, so he got control of Team Rocket when Madam Boss, their mother, stepped down. Giovanni always had their mother's favor, and _my_ father was disowned and left with _nothing! _My parents both disappeared one night and were never seen again. I had to change my name and go into hiding with my baby sister. Team Rocket killed them."_  
_  
Jessie didn't say anything. She didn't trust this guy at all, and there was something _very_ bogus about his story. It just didn't ring true. Gambini sensed what she thinking and he didn't like it.

"Do you think I don't know about you?" he asked. He got up stood in front of Jessie. "Your mother, the best Team Rocket agent in the history of the organization. She disappeared and was supposedly killed after being sent on a mission by Madam Boss. _They _are responsible for her death and yet you work for the same organization that killed her!"

Jessie said nothing. She was not going to let this man get to her.

"Don't you want revenge?" he whispered. "Don't you want to punish those who took her away from you?"

Jessie turned away from him.

"And _you,_" Gambini said, turning to James, "A millionaire's son, who gave up his fortune and his birthright because his parents tried to force him into marriage. Because they couldn't accept you for who you really are." Leaning close to James he said, "How would you like to make more money than even your parents could dream of? So much money that you could easily surpass them?"

Jessie pulled James close to her and said, "Leave us alone. We aren't going to be bought by the likes of you. You kidnap members of Team Rocket, tell them some sob-story and try to bribe them into working for you; and if they refuse, leave them in a cell to rot unless they change their minds. I saw your collection of people locked in the cells below. We aren't traitors, and when Giovanni finds you and learns what you've done, he will _destroy_ you!"

Gambini was furious. He grabbed Jessie by the arms and shook her.

"Who do you think you are? You are _mine! _From the moment they captured you, you have been mine to do with as I please!" He grabbed her by the throat.

James tried to help her, but was held back by the four people who had brought them in.

Gambini forced Jessie's face to his and kissed her. Jessie kicked him in the stomach, HARD. He fell to the floor.

"Don't touch me!"

Clenching his stomach, Gambini got back up and motioned to the men holding back James. Two of them let go of him and grabbed Jessie. They led her to the chair at Gambini's desk and forced her to sit down.

"Tie her up," said Gambini, still holding his stomach.

James and Jessie stared into each other's eyes. Neither one knew what to do.

When Jessie was securely fastened to the chair, Gambini approached her again. James struggled to get free to help her, but with no success.

"You don't seem to understand," Gambini said to Jessie, getting in her face. "From now on, you belong to me. That means you will do _anything _and _everything_ that I want, do you understand?"

"Leave her alone!" James yelled, struggling to get free.

Gambini put his face close to Jessie's, and touched his lips to hers.

Jessie spat at him.

Gambini swung at her furiously, knocking the chair to the floor. Jessie's head hit the stone floor, knocking her unconscious.

Suddenly a whimper could be heard from the doorway. Gambini turned around. It was Anari, holding Meowth. She stared at him, disbelieving, tears flowing from her eyes.

"B-big brother? Why?"

Gambini froze, not knowing what to say. Her small voice pierced his heart. He had not meant for her to see this.

James managed to get free, and ran to Jessie. He untied her and picked her up. He was not letting anyone near her again.

"Get them out of here!" Gambini shouted to his men.

"The cells are all full now, sir," said one of the men. "We filled the last one just after we brought these two to you."

"Then put them in one of the bedrooms," said Gambini. "Just get them out!"

The men led James out, carrying Jessie. Meowth stared after them, but he did not say anything.

Anari and her brother stared at each other. Gambini did not know what to say to her.

"You...you shouldn't be here, Anari... go to your room."

Anari ran from the room, crying bitterly.

. . .

James was taken into a bedroom and shut in, still carrying Jessie in his arms.

He laid her down on the bed, and went to see if he could open the window and escape with Jessie. No such luck. The window had bars on it. He sat on the bed next to Jessie, gently caressing her face, wishing for her to awaken.

"Jessie, I'm so sorry... this is all my fault! This is all my fault for being so weak, for not being strong enough to protect you. Please forgive me..."

He began to cry. He laid down next to her, holding her close to him. He remembered on the St. Anne, being too weak and afraid to save himself... and Jessie protecting him as usual. Leading him to safety. She was always doing that, protecting him. And now when she needed him, he was too weak to protect her.

_No, not this time! This time I won't let her down. _he told himself. _This time I'll protect her._

He loved her so much. He thought about what they had shared last night, before they had gotten captured. It had been the most amazing thing he had ever experienced in his life. Then he thought of Gambini putting his hands on her, the thought made him sick.

_If he touches her again, I'll kill him._

And he meant it.

. . .

Anari ran into her room and slammed the door. She sat on the floor, still holding Meowth, and continued to cry.

"How could he? How he do something so awful?"

Meowth felt bad for her. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't know what would happen if she found out he could talk. He was also worried about Jessie and James. Where had they been taken?

Anari continued to cry. "I don't understand, I don't!"

Meowth snuggled close to her, wishing he knew how to help her, and himself.

. . .

Giovanni and his men were fast approaching Gambini's hideout. The road split into three directions, and he was not sure which way to go.

"Which way, sir?" someone asked.

Giovanni spotted something in the middle of the center path. It was a pokéball. One of the men picked it up.

"Open it," he ordered.

Throwing the ball, the man yelled "Pokéball, GO!"

A lickitung appeared. The confused pokémon looked around. It didn't see Jessie anywhere.

Giovanni took the pokéball and said "Lickitung, return!"

He knew whose pokémon it was. He put the pokéball in his pocket.

Leading his men down the center path he said, "Let's go."

. . .

"James?"

"It's all right, Jessie. I'm here."

Jessie sat up, holding her throbbing head. James held her gently.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "There was no more room in the cells, so we wound up here."

Despite her dizziness and the pain in her head, Jessie got to her feet and stumbled to the window.

"If we can get it open, we could escape," she said.

"I already tried," said James. "It's barred."

"Well, we can't just give up!" she snapped angrily. She leaned against the wall with her head in her hands.

James understood at once. She was obviously in pain, which was the cause of her temper. Then a thought struck him. He thought about the many times Jessie had been temperamental and wondered if some of those times it had been simply because she had not been feeling well. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

"Jessie, you should lay down," he said, coming toward her.

"I'm fine," she said. "We've got to get out of here."

She didn't want James to see her weakness. She had to be strong, for him. She had to get them out of there. She had to... Suddenly the room started to spin around her, as the pain in her head intensified. She felt herself falling and was caught and lifted in a pair of strong arms. James carried her back to the bed and set her down gently.

"James, I.."

"Shhhhh," he soothed her, laying down next to her. "Go to sleep, Jessie. Everything will be alright."

Jessie buried her face in his jacket as he pulled her close.

"Can you hear my heartbeat?" he said. "Every beat says 'I love you, Jessie, I love you, Jessie...'"

Jessie smiled, remembering that she had said that very thing to him last night.

"James, I love you so much..." She drifted out of consciousness, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.

James closed his eyes, trying to think. He had to come up with a way to get them out of there. Suddenly, he remembered something...  
_  
"If she's taken repeated blows to the head, the trauma's probably starting to catch up with her. If she continues to get hit on the head, she could get a lot worse than temporary memory loss. She needs to be more careful. You all do."_

It was what the doctor had told him when Jessie had lost her memory. He held her tightly.

_Jessie, please be alright! _he thought. _I love you more than anything else in this world! I'm going to get you out of here! I swear it!_

Finally, he came to a decision. He had to act, and fast.

"That's it!" said James to his unconscious partner. "I'm getting you out of here, now!" He got off the bed and went to the door. It had no lock, which meant someone was on the other side guarding them. He wondered how many guards there were and if he could take them. He had to try, but if he failed... "No!" he told himself. "I can't be weak this time. I have to be strong for Jessie, I have to be!" He slowly turned the doorknob, and opened the door. He peered out, expecting someone to point a gun at him and tell him to get back in the room. But there was no one there. He was dumbfounded. He knew very well that Gambini was no idiot, so there had to be more to this than meets the eye.

_It's probably a trap... _he thought. _But I've got to try and get Jessie out of here._

He went back in the room and carefully lifted Jessie off the bed.

"Don't worry, Jessie. I'm gonna get us out of here." He carried Jessie to the doorway and peered out again. Still no one there.

Finally, drawing upon all the courage he could muster, he held Jessie close to him, begged luck to help him out, and ran for it.

* * *

**Continued in part 3: Rocket Revenge**


	3. Rocket Revenge

_After being presented to the leader of the organization opposing Team Rocket, the true identity of the enemy is finally revealed to Jessie and James. Gambini, the evil young nephew of Giovanni, tries to force Jessie into succumbing to his will after his attempt to persuade her and James to join him fails miserably. His innocent little sister witnesses his violent act, and he orders James and the unconscious Jessie to be shut up in an empty room. James finds the room suspiciously unlocked and unguarded, and drawing upon all his courage, attempts to escape with his unconscious partner..._

* * *

**Chapter three~ Rocket Revenge**

.

Anari had finally stopped crying. She was laying on her bed, petting Meowth and looking rather miserable. Meowth was debating in his mind rather or not to tell her the truth and ask for her help. Maybe they could find Jessie and James and together find a way to get out of here. Maybe. Finally he decided to risk it. Something in his heart told him could trust this child. He liked her, and he wanted to help her. Living under the care of someone like Gambini was no life for a little kid. He spit the three pokéballs out of his mouth in front of the surprised girl and said,

"Look kid, if we woik tagedda maybe we can get outta here."

Anari was stunned. "You can _TALK?_"

"Listen, my friends are in here someplace and if we can find 'em, den maybe we can all escape," he said.

"Your friends?" she asked.

"Yeah, the guy and girl who was with your brother," said Meowth. "If we can find 'em, maybe we can all get outta here tagedda."

"The lady looked like she was hurt," Anari said. She picked up the pokéballs. "Are these your pokémon?"

"Nah, dey're my friends' pokémon."

"What kind are they?" she asked.

"Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel," he replied. "Dey had a Lickitung, too, but I don't know what happened to it."

"Here, I'll carry them for you so you won't have to keep them in your mouth. Don't be sad, we'll find your friends."

"Then you'll help me find 'em?" he asked.

"Yeah, just let me get something first." She went to a drawer and pulled a photo out. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"What's dat?" Meowth asked.

"It's a picture of my Momma and Daddy. It's the only one I've got."

Meowth looked at the photo. It had four people in it. There were two men, one older and one younger, and a lady holding a baby girl. Meowth noticed that the younger of the two men was Anari's brother.

"Where are dey now?" he asked her.

"I don't know. Big Brother says they went away and didn't come back. I don't remember them."

Meowth looked at the back of the picture as they left Anari's room. It said: _Maria's first birthday_

Maria? Who was Maria?

. . .

James ran down the hall carrying Jessie, looking for a way out. Jessie had regained consciousness but she was too dizzy to walk, so James continued to carry her. He couldn't believe no one had seen them. He reached the end of the hall, and came upon a locked door. Suddenly he heard two familiar voices...

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make that double!"

James turned around. _Oh god, not them!_

"To INFECT the world with devastation!"

"To BLIGHT all peoples in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

Then suddenly they threw off their Rocket uniforms to reveal all black clothing underneath. Together, they said, "We'll destroy Team Rocket from the inside out! Surrender to us, or die right now!"

"You! So you're the spies the boss sent us to find!" Jessie shouted.

"You betrayed Team Rocket to its enemies!" said James. "How much did Gambini bribe you with, huh? How much did your disloyalty cost?"

They both laughed.

"A lot more than the boss ever paid you two idiots!" said Cassidy. "We wondered how long it would take you to realize nobody was guarding the door. We wanted to make an entrance!"

"Sorry we left such a mess for you at the cabin," said Butch. "But according to the leader of the group sent to get you, you sure put on a great show!"

"Yeah, so sorry we missed the show!" said Cassidy.

"What are you talking about?" asked James.

"Giovanni ordered us to use the cabin outside of town and be out by the next day," said Butch. "I wondered why he wanted us out so soon so I sent a group back that evening to see what was going on while Cassidy and I kidnapped a few more Rockets in town."

"He told us what he saw you two doing through the window just before he captured you," Cassidy said with a laugh. "Leave it to Butch and me to miss the show!"

James finally figured it out. These two were the ones who had trashed the cabin, and they had sent the people who had captured them. Their associates had been spying on them and had watched him and Jessie together last night when they...

James and Jessie both turned bright red.

"Doesn't matter," said Cassidy. "You'll be dead in two seconds anyway."

"Stop it!" a child's voice yelled at them. James looked to see who it was. It was that girl from before, and she had Meowth with her. "Leave them alone!" she yelled.

Butch and Cassidy turned to Anari. "Go away, kid, before we have to hurt you," said Cassidy.

Suddenly the door that James had been trying to get out of was kicked down from the other side, revealing Giovanni and about two dozen members of Team Rocket. The look on Giovanni's face could have frightened a Charizard away. He glared at Butch and Cassidy with ice cold eyes. They both looked like they were going to be sick.

Giovanni thought of all the trust he had put into the two of them, even coming and personally bailing them out of jail! Nobody got away with doing this to him. NOBODY. He turned to James. "Get your partner and that child out of here, NOW!"

James didn't need to be told twice. He carried Jessie quickly through the broken-down door. Meowth and Anari quickly followed suite. The last look they saw on Butch and Cassidy's faces was sheer terror.

. . .

The four of them waited for Giovanni at the end of the corridor. James set Jessie down, but when she tried to stand up she gave out from underneath her and she fell back down to floor.

"Jess, are you okay?" James asked, his face etched with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and got to her feet. She felt like she was going to pass out, but she didn't want to worry either of her team mates. She smiled and said "I'll be fine, as long as you're here with me."

When the boss finally emerged, he had only two men with him.

"Where is everyone?" James asked.

"Six of them are disposing of some trash, the rest of them I sent to free the Rockets imprisoned in the cells."

"How did you know about the people in the cells?" James asked.

"The two _former _Rockets were _very_ obliging," he replied. He approached Anari. "What's your name?" he asked.

She stared at him, obviously afraid.

"Speak, child! Tell me your name!"

"I...I'm A-Anari," she said.

"You're the sister of Antonio Gambini?"

She nodded.

"Where are your parents?" he asked.

She started to cry.

"If you know, you had better tell me!" he told her.

"I-I don't know! Please just stay away!" she stepped back, crying loudly.

He stared hard at her, until he was finally convinced she spoke the truth.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I just had to be sure..."

Jessie, James, Meowth, and the other two Rockets were all very confused.

"What's going on, Sir?" asked Jessie. "Is Gambini really your nephew?"

Giovanni turned his back. "He's my brother's son. Five years ago both of his parents disappeared. We believe he murdered them both. Shortly after their disappearance Antonio also disappeared along with their two-year-old daughter. We were never able to find him. It was only a matter of time before he came after Team Rocket. He's obsessed with power. He killed his father to take his place in the family. When my mother learned of this, she came after him with a vengeance, so he disappeared underground, taking his sister with him."

Anari, who had just stopped crying, began all over again. "No! You're lying! I know you are!"

Giovanni knelt down in front of her. "Your given name is Maria."

"No, I'm Anari!"

"Your brother changed your name to keep you from being found," he told her. "You're my niece. I'll take you away from here. You'll come home with me."

Anari backed away from him. "No! You're lying! Big Brother wouldn't do that, he wouldn't!" She ran away from them and was quickly out of sight.

"WAIT!" Giovanni yelled, but she was gone.

"What should we do now, Sir?" asked one of the Rockets.

"We've got to find that child and her brother," he answered.

"He told us that Team Rocket killed his parents," said Jessie.

"No... but Team Rocket will kill _him._" Giovanni replied. "My brother and his wife are dead, I see that now. I had hoped that somewhere they might still be alive."

"How do you know that, sir?" asked James. "Maybe they still are."

"No," said Giovanni. "If he's trying to frame Team Rocket for their deaths, then they must be dead. I was afraid the child was in league with him... I shouldn't have frightened her."

He turned and faced the group. "We are going to find Antonio. Be under no misapprehension. That man will kill any one of you as soon as look at you." He handed Jessie her pokéball containing Lickitung. "Your Lickitung. It was found outside on the path leading here. It lead us to you."

"I wish I knew where the rest of our pokémon are," said James.

"OH NO!"

It was Meowth.

"Dat kid's got your pokéballs! I let her carry 'em 'cause I was tired of keepin 'em in my mouth!"

"Nevermind," said Giovanni. "We'll find her. Now we've got to find Antonio, or Antonio Gambini as he calls himself now. We'll split up."

"Yes, Sir!"

"You three," he ordered James, Jessie, and Meowth, "Follow that child and try to find her. Here." He handed Jessie and James each a gun. "Don't hesitate to use them if you see her brother. You don't know what kind of man you're dealing with. Shoot first and ask questions later."

"But Jessie needs a doctor!" James protested. "We've got to get her to a hospital!"

"I'm FINE, James," she said. She couldn't believe he had taken that tone with the boss. Didn't he know that was a dangerous thing to do?

"But Jessie...!" he protested.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll get the job done," Jessie told Giovanni.

"Good," he said. He turned to the other two men and said, "You two come with me." He went in the opposite direction and gone in a minute.

When he was out of sight, James turned to Jessie. "Jessie, why did you..."

She hit him upside the head. "YOU IDIOT! Are you trying to get yourself into even more trouble than we're in already! Do you want the boss mad at us, too?" James looked at her with a hurt expression. Her anger dissipated in an instant and suddenly she felt very guilty. "James, I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I just couldn't bear it if anything happened to take you away from me. I know the boss is on our side, but he's so..."

"Unpredictable," James finished. "Kind of like his nephew. You never know how he's going to react."

Jessie nodded. "Yeah."

He hugged her. She returned his embrace and said, "Don't worry, I'll be okay. We'll find that kid and get out of here and everything will be all right."

"Yeah," said Meowth. "And the sooner we get started, the sooner we can get outta here. So let's go!"

. . .

"It just can't be true!"

Anari just couldn't believe it. How could her brother, _HER _brother_, _do such a thing? It just couldn't be true! It couldn't! She pulled the photo out of her pocket.

"Momma... Daddy... Why did you leave me alone? I hate being alone..."

Her brother always told her how much their parents had loved her, but that one day they left and never came back. She did not remember them, but she could not remember a time when she had not been angry at them for leaving her. She'd always been secretly afraid that one day her brother might leave her, too. She stared at the face of her brother in the picture. Could he _really_ have killed them? Of course not! But then... what about what she had seen him do to the lady with the long red hair? She sat down and started to cry, facing a terrible dilemma for child of such tender years.

. . .

Jessie's dizziness was increasing. She needed to rest, but she didn't want to slow them down. She knew that to do so in enemy territory was dangerous. They still hadn't found Giovanni's niece and Jessie wasn't sure how much longer she could stay on her feet. James could tell she was suffering. He stayed close to her, just in case she needed him. She wasn't going to last much longer and he wanted to make sure she didn't hit the floor.

When at last Jessie felt she could go no further, she didn't have to say anything. James immediately lifted her into his arms. It amazed her how he had known the exact moment to help her. He always knew exactly when she needed him. They both said "I love you" at the same time, causing them to both smile.

"Are you really okay, Jess?" James asked.

"Yeah..." she said. "I'll be fine..."

"Look!" said Meowth. "Over there!"

It was Gambini. They realized they had found their way back to his office, and he had just entered it.

"James, put me down," Jessie whispered.

He gently set her on her feet. "Jessie, are you sure?"

"Listen, all we've got to do is hold him at gun point until the boss finds us," she said. She knew the boss had said, 'Shoot first and ask questions later', but neither she nor James were keen on the idea. They just weren't cold-blooded killers. If they held him at gun point until the boss got there, then _he_ could decide what to do with his nephew.

"Okay, on da count a three," said Meowth.

They stood just outside his door.

"One...two..._three!_"

They both burst in and shouted "Freeze!"

Gambini didn't look at all surprised to see them. "Well, I see Giovanni found _you,_" he said.

"You know he's here?" asked James.

"Well of course I know he's here," said Gambini. "He's already killed three of my men. You should have taken me up on my offer, though."

"We would never join you!" shouted Jessie. "You're a murderer! You killed your own parents! You deprived your sister of their love and affection for the rest of her life! Do you know what I wouldn't give to have my mother back? Do you?"

Gambini smiled maliciously. "You think _I'M _a murderer? Team Rocket is responsible for your mother's death, and you work for them! You serve the same people who killed her! So it's just the same as if you murdered her!"

His words stabbed through Jessie's heart like a knife. Any self control she had was gone. The tears in her eyes blurred her vision as she pulled the trigger... and missed. The bullet ricocheted off the wall and found itself embedded in Gambini's desk.

"No, stop!"

It was Anari.

She ran passed Jessie and James and stood in front of Gambini, spreading out her arms. "Don't shoot my brother!"

Meowth panicked. He liked this kid and didn't want her to get hurt. Jessie was normally a very good shot, but the emotional state she was in had caused her to miss once, and if she missed again... "Get away, kid!" he yelled.

"No!"

"Anari, he's evil!" said James. "More evil than Team Rocket could ever be! He murdered your parents!"

"No, he couldn't, he wouldn't!" she yelled. "You don't know the loneliness that Big Brother and I felt! How could you? Do you know what it's like to have no parents or friends, to be by yourself all the time?"

Meowth stepped back. He _did_ know. His first memories of his life were of being abandoned. He didn't remember his mother or father. He had no family.

"Big brother is not evil!" Anari continued. "Do you know what it's like for nobody to understand who you really are? For nobody to _CARE_ who you really are? Do you?"

This line got to James. He knew what it was like. He thought of his parents, always trying to change him. They didn't care about who he was on the inside, only about what they wanted him to be. They didn't understand him, and they didn't want to. James lowered his gun.

Tears were streaming down Anari's eyes. "Big Brother is all I have! How would you feel if you lost somebody you love? You don't know what it's like to truly be alone! Please..."

Jessie's hand faltered. She stared into the tear-filled eyes of the seven-year-old girl. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. She had been younger than Anari when she'd lost her own mother.  
The child's words echoed in her mind...

_Big Brother is all I have ... all I have ... all I have..._

She understood. James and Meowth were all _SHE _had, and she couldn't imagine losing them. She stared into the face of her enemy and despite her hatred, she couldn't do it. She lowered her gun.

As she lowered her weapon two men dressed in black, who had been hiding behind the door attacked Jessie and James from behind. One grabbed the gun out of James' hand and held it to his head. The other tried to grab Jessie's but she was too quick for him. She aimed her gun at him.

"Let him go!"

They both laughed. The man who had James at gunpoint stood behind him, using him a shield.

"Mark, stop it!" Anari told the man, but he ignored her.

Gambini laughed at this turn of events. "You see?" he said. "I always win. I'll destroy Team Rocket and everyone in it! My parents didn't live to cross me, and neither will you!"

In the spur of the moment, he had forgotten that his sister was in the room. She stared at him in disbelief and he realized his mistake.

"How could you?" Her voice was almost a whisper. She ran out of the room, dropping two pokéballs. Meowth scooped them up.

Gambini stared after her, cursing himself for being so stupid. Finally, he went to the door, shut it, and locked it. None of them were getting out; he was going to make them pay for this. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and held it to James' throat.

"You will drop the gun NOW, or he dies," he ordered Jessie. "He's got a gun to his head and a knife to his throat. No matter which one of us you shoot, he still dies. You will drop the gun, and do EXACTLY what I want, do you understand?"

James suddenly realized what is was that Gambini wanted. He had tried before. "JESSIE, NO!"

"Well?" Gambini asked.

Jessie lowered her weapon. "I give up."

"JESSIE NO! DON'T DO IT! PLEASE!" James screamed. "I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME! SAVE YOURSELF!"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and said "I'm sorry, James. But I love you too much, I... would rather suffer this fate a thousand times than let you die... than to live without you." She dropped the gun.

"JESSIE DON'T!"

Gambini picked the gun up. He turned to his men, who were both holding James. "Chain him up." After his orders had been carried out he unlocked the door and handed Jessie's gun to the man Anari had called Mark.

"Find Giovanni and take care of him," he ordered, shoving the man out the door. He closed it back and locked it.

"You're a fool if you think one man can stop Giovanni," Jessie told him. Gambini struck her hard, knocking her to the floor. Before she could get up again, he was on top of her, holding her down.

"NO, DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" James was screaming. "I'LL KILL YOU, DO YOU HEAR ME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Why are you doing this to us?" Jessie asked him. "We showed _you_ mercy."

"And you were a fool for doing so," he told her. He turned to the man that had James' gun and said "Hold the gun on him. If she resists in any way, shoot him."

The man looked away, uttered disgusted by what he knew was coming next. He knew better than to question his employer, however. He sported a number of scars on his face and arms from previous times he's been on the receiving of Antonio Gambini's wrath.

Gambini started to pull Jessie's jacket off and she began to cry. She had never felt more helpless in her life. James had lost all sanity. Screaming like a madman he yanked at the chains trying to get to Jessie. This amused Gambini most of all. He seemed to be enjoying James' reaction more than anything, including what he wanted to do to the woman underneath him.

But Gambini had forgotten one key factor: Meowth. The cat was hiding under the desk, holding the pokéballs. He didn't know what to do, but he had to think of something fast...

Jessie glared at Gambini hatefully. "I hope you see your sister's face," she hissed venomously. "I hope the entire time you hear _her_ voice in your head!"

He grabbed her throat, cutting off her air supply. She closed her eyes, struggling to breathe. _Somebody, anybody please help me! _she screamed in her mind. Suddenly she felt Gambini's weight shift. She opened her eyes. Something had wrapped around his body and was pulling him away from her.

It was Arbok!

She quickly looked to the man who'd had James at gunpoint. He was no longer a threat. The upper half of his body was stuck in James' Victreebel. Meowth had swiped his gun away from him and was unchaining James. She got to her feet and ran to James somehow managing to keep her balance despite the fact that world felt like it was spinning around her. Her partner had stopped screaming. His face was red and tearstained. For a moment they just stared at each other. Finally, they fell into each other's arms and burst into tears. They were still embracing when Giovanni found them, led by Anari.

. . .

Had Gambini survived, James would no doubt have killed him himself; but he hadn't. Arbok had squeezed him to death. The rest of his men had been captured by Giovanni. Nobody knew what the boss would do with them, and nobody really cared. No one, that is, expect Anari. She had returned James' last pokéball to him, but she had not said a word since leading Giovanni to her brother. While everyone else's troubles were over, her world had fallen apart and her healing had just begun. Giovanni led her out by the hand.

"Would you rather be called Maria or Anari?" he asked her.

"My name is Anari and nothing else," she replied.

"You'll be all right," he told her. "You'll live with me, be like my own child."

She looked up at him and replied, "That's what Big Brother told me." She said nothing more.

. . .

The next day, the boss called Jessie, James, and Meowth into his office. Jessie and James had both been to the hospital. They had bandaged heads but the doctor said they were both going to be fine.

"Well, you three have finally done something right for a change," Giovanni said. "I think you all deserve a vacation!"

Jessie and James were ecstatic. Vacation? Had he said vacation?

He handed them a bag full of money and the trio stared at it with their mouths hanging open. There had to be thousands of dollars in there.

"Spoils from yesterday's raid," he explained. "You can't have a good vacation without vacation money. I know I can't. Take some time off! For a job well done!"

Jessie and James were jumping for joy, but Meowth just stared at the floor. Finally, he said "If ya don't mind, Sir, I'd like to stay here. With Anari. Dat kid shouldn't be alone. She's been alone too long already."

All three of them were surprised. They had all found a new respect for Meowth. Giovanni smiled.

"If you want. She likes Pokemon. She's been making friends with my Persian."

Meowth face-faulted, groaning.

. . .

By that afternoon, Jessie and James were checked into the most expensive hotel at one of the hottest resorts in the world. The boss had them flown by way of his private jet. As Jessie sat in a lounge chair sipping her cocktail, James snuck up behind her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hello, beautiful!" he said.

She smiled, fingering the rose locket around her neck. "So you think I'm beautiful, huh? You've certainly got good taste!"

"The most beautiful woman in the world!" James agreed.

She kissed him. "Hard to believe that in a week it'll be back to work, trying..."

"Trying to catch that twerp's Pikachu," he finished. "Yeah, and you know... I can't wait!"

"Really?" she asked.

James nodded, smiling. "Yeah. There were times over the past week or two when I thought our lives would never go back to being normal again. And soon, nothing will make me happier than to say our motto together and know that life is good again."

"Good again? Come here and _I'll_ show you good again," she said, pulling him close.

An older couple passed by, and observed the two of them kissing.

"It's so good to see young people in love," the woman said to her husband. "They look so happy."

"Yeah," he replied. "They've got their whole future ahead of them. I hope they live each day to its fullest. If they do, no matter what comes their way, their lives will be full of light and love."

And he was right.

-THE END-**  
**

* * *

I hope you liked my story. This was my first fanfic series. Please tell me what you thought.  
Sincerely, Anna Sartin (March 13th, 2000)

The older couple at the end of the story is meant to symbolize Jessie and James' lifetime love and partnership. ^_^ Together forever!


End file.
